Betta Went Homicidal

[Jenste]

This summer, I had my halfmoon betta in a divided 10 gallon with a crowntail on the other side...when the crowntail passed away (he was a 5-6 year old adoptee I had taken in) I had moved my halfmoon into his own 3.5 gallon filtered/heated for a few months and had three corydoras in the 10 gallon....


I decided to put the betta in the 10 gallon with the corydoras to use the 3.5 gallon as a transport/temporary move around tank for my ACF.


In the morning, I floated him in the tank in a plastic liquid measuring cup for a couple hours to let him look around and observe the corys before adding him - he seems curious but didn't even flare.
I then added him in and watched, he did flare for a few minutes then took up residence in one of the caves... all seemed well for the rest of the morning, afternoon and that evening before I went to bed. He was swimming around, eating and not giving a second glance to the corys.


The next morning, all three corydoras were killed! I am gutted....all three were rescues and the sweetest and funniest little things.


I am upset but not angry with the betta...I do know that they all have their own personalities and some make great community additions and others need to be solo....well I guess I just learned the hard way that my betta can't get along with others.

 

[FreedomFighter]

Geezus, that is one bad tempered Betta!

My Betta has lived with all sorts of fish and hardly even flared, he's lived with paradise fish, apistogramma species, other dwarf cichlids, corydoras, hillstream loaches, tetras, guppies, and the only thing he's ever touched was pest snails.

 

[Lacuna]

That's really sad, sorry you found out the hard way. He must have hunted them in the night.

 

[Jenste]

thanks guys I think that between today and tomorrow I am going to do a rearrange again, betta going back into the smaller 3.5 gallon and am going to set the 10 gallon up for an ACF I want to have in his own tank due to his "special needs"

I am still crushed about the corydoras though...they were the cutest little things and I feel so responsible for introducing a monster into their tank.

 

[FreedomFighter]

Good idea.

And don't be too hard on yourself, you weren't to know he would act that way.

Most people suggest keeping cory's with Betta so this is just one of those freak occasions where something went wrong. All you can do is learn from your mistakes, and I'd suggest introducing your betta into other tanks in the morning, so you can watch their behaviour through the day, just to stop any further potential mishaps.

 

[Jenste]

Good idea.

And don't be too hard on yourself, you weren't to know he would act that way.

Most people suggest keeping cory's with Betta so this is just one of those freak occasions where something went wrong. All you can do is learn from your mistakes, and I'd suggest introducing your betta into other tanks in the morning, so you can watch their behaviour through the day, just to stop any further potential mishaps.

as for as introducing him - - I stated in the first post that I had introduced him in the morning after floating in him a clear container for two hours to allow him to see the corys and tank beforehand, and watched all day for any signs of aggression past the first bit of flaring once he was introduced...

 

[FreedomFighter]

Sorry, forgot that bit. my apologies.

Well then you simply did everything you possibly could.

 

[gearhead65]

That's crazy. My betta has lived with my mollies, swordtails, corydoras, SAEs, oto, glass cats and amano shrimp very well. She always has kept to herself. She's been a good girl. Unfortunately, I think she's on her last days. I think she's suffering from dropsy.

 

[Jenste]

aw I am sorry - - I am actually treating one of my ACF for bloat (she has low functioning kidneys so there is no "treatment" besides just keeping her as comfortable as possible.)
The salt baths are mostly to help alleviate the pressure on her organs...she could last a while as long as the pressure doesn't cause organ failure.

it is awful to go through though, I am sorry about your girl.

yea the betta is back in the small tank, and my piebald ACF who has a birth defect of a twisted spine (just slight, mostly looks like he is tilting his head at you in confusion) now has his own setup for more one on one attention.